(Adnkronos) – Tehran has the right to impose an environmental tax on ships for transit through the Strait of Hormuz. This is according to Arman Khorsand, head of the Iranian Center for International Affairs and Environmental Conventions, who added that oil pollution, the activity of foreign military fleets, and damage to sensitive ecosystems in the Gulf have “doubled the need to provide resources for environmental restoration” and that the collected fees could be used to compensate for the damage caused to the Gulf’s environment.
According to the “innocent passage” system, he stated, countries bordering the strait can collect fees for maritime services and compensation for damages caused by regulatory violations, “and this issue has a precedent in international law”. Khorsand rejected criticism of the measure, explaining that “the claim that collecting environmental taxes from passing ships is illegal has no legal basis” and that the action could be taken “within the framework of recognized international norms”.
